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LINCOLN CUSHING, BORN 1953, , .

Lincoln Cushing has at various times been a printer, artist, librarian, archivist, and author. He is involved in numerous efforts to document, catalog and disseminate oppositional political culture of the late 20th century. His books include Revolución! Cuban Poster Art (Chronicle Books, 2003), Visions of Peace & Justice: 30 Years of Political Posters from the Archives of Inkworks Press (2007), Chinese Posters: Art from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (Chronicle Books 2007), Agitate! Educate! Organize! – American Labor Posters (Cornell University Press, 2009) and an illustrated essay in Ten Years That Shook The City – San Francisco 1968- 1978 (City Lights Books, 2011). He was the guest curator at the Oakland Museum of California for the 2012 exhibition All Of Us Or None – Poster Art of the San Francisco Bay Area, and author of a catalog by the same title (Heyday, 2012). His research and publishing projects can be seen at 04. PART FOUR www.docspopuli.org

THE CUBAN POSTER

PRIDE AND DETERMINATION

by Lincoln Cushing

LINCOLN CUSHING

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01.

01. (ovpposite) “Neither Nations nor Men Respect Anyone Who Fails to Make Himself Respected” 1985, by Rene Mederos Pazos, for EP [DOR]. José Martí (1853-1895) was an author and Cuban patriot who dedicated his life to the overthrow of Spanish rule. He lived in exile in New York City from January 1880 to January 1895, where he founded a newspaper and a children’s magazine.

02. (overleaf) “Cuba 1952,” 1973, by René Mederos Pazos, for Editora Política [COR].

This visual exploration of the oppression suffered by the Cuban people under the Batista dictatorship is from the “Moncada” poster series. It is captioned with a quote from Fidel Castro’s “History Will Absolve Me” speech made in his own defense. Castro was on trial for his role in the failed attack on the military barracks on July 26, 1953, considered the beginning of the : “To these people whose desperate roads through life have been paved with the bricks of betrayal and false promises, we were not going to say: ‘We will give you ...’ but rather: ‘Here it is, now fight for it with everything you have, so that liberty and happiness may be yours!’”

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Posters have played a long, distinguished and important role in public life in Cuba, going back as far as the start of the twentieth century. At that time, the immediacy of a poster was an essential element in a society where literacy rates were low. Poster art was art with a clear function: to deliver a message.

Its clearest antecedents in the modern age – the so-called Republi- The Cuban Poster can era – are to be found in graphic arts magazines such as Carteles, which was founded in 1902 and remained in print until the 1960s. The Cuba has long occupied a world presence in several things far out of proportion to its size subject matter covered the usual range: theatrical performances and – tobacco, rum, and revolutionary politics. To those, we should also add posters. shows, seasonal and festive events, and of course, sales messages.

The 2001 catalog for “Troubled Images,” an exhibition about the conflict in Northern Ireland After the Revolution in 1959, however, many of those subjects changed, at Belfast’s Linen Hall Library, postulates that “Political posters may be propaganda, but and artists were focusing on public issues and initiatives such as lit- they are as close to art as many in our society come.” There’s a lot we can learn about eracy drives, motivational or inspirational messages, political slogans Cuba from the massive outpouring of these vibrant works. Most were produced during the and public health advice. “Golden Age” of Cuban posters, the period from the late 1960s through the mid-1980s.

It is this late development of the genre that concerns the following The posters offer a significant insight into Cuban life. Impressive as they are as artistic essay by Lincoln Cushing – an authority both on the history of the artifacts, their deeper value lies in their ability to help us understand the Cuba of this poster and of the particular life it has had in Cuba for the past fifty period. It was one of those historical moments when human capital was more important years or so. than financial capital, when public voluntarism was commonplace, and self-sacrifice expected. Social experimentation was the order of the day. Many people’s lives were fundamentally transformed, and old political struggles were resolved as new ones emerged.

Cuba is a literate nation of eleven million people. Havana itself is a cosmopolitan capital of one million, and has been a cultural nexus between the Old World and the new ever since the “discovery” of the Americas in 1492. From the beginning, Cuban artists and intellectuals have been active in creating their own national culture. During the intense period before the 1959 revolution, artists of all stylistic persuasions were adding their skills to the overthrow of the dictator Fulgencio Batista. Afterwards, posters evolved to a world-class level.

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03. (opposite) “First conference of UNEAC graphic design” 1979, by Francisco Masvidal Cubans take their revolutionary culture very seriously, as evidenced by this poster for the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba.

04. “Cut Until the Last Cane” 1971, by Gladys Acosta, for EP [COR]. Sugar and tobacco were Cuba’s colonial legacy monoculture crops, and remained very important in the post- revolutionary economy. The U.S. imported a third of its sugar from Cuba until the government imposed an economic embargo in 1960. Sugar beets grown elsewhere now rule, and Cuba’s world dominance has faded. This striking poster uses the text as a machete to cut the artistically-enhanced cane.

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It didn’t happen right away. In the years immediately following the Revolution there was the Department of Revolutionary Orientation (DOR, 1974–1984), and finally settled on no sign that this art form would blossom. Early public artwork was generally described Editora Política in 1985. This agency is responsible for a wide range of mostly domestic as unimaginative and hackneyed. In the words of one observer, “commercial standards public-information propaganda in the form of books, brochures, billboards and, of course, of realistic illustration of the Batista era were [simply] given a new political orientation.” posters. Many other government agencies used the resources and distribution powers of EP By the mid-1960s the Cubans managed to avoid mimicking the socialist realism typical for their own work, including the Federation of Cuban Women, the National Confederation of Soviet propaganda and were well on the way to establishing their own unique of Workers and the National Union of Students in Latin American and the Caribbean. style. Given that the two countries were in the process of building deep political and economic ties, this was a highly visible indicator of Cuban independence. Poster-making OSPAAAL (Organization in Solidarity with the People of Africa, Asia, and Latin America) blossomed because of a long tradition of international influence in Cuban artwork and is a United Nations non-governmental organization based in Havana. It was the primary a revolutionary government that was relatively open to experimentation and innovation. source of solidarity posters produced in Cuba and aimed at activists around the world.

The poster producers Between 1966 and 1990, OSPAAAL published Tricontinental, a monthly magazine with a circulation that in 1989 peaked at 30,000 copies. Tricontinental was produced in English,

Most Cuban posters have been produced under the auspices of three agencies: ICAIC (the Spanish, French, and Arabic, and was mailed to 87 countries. Many issues – especially Cuban Film and Cinematic Industries Institute, more commonly known as the Cuban during the early years – included a poster. This simple act, of violating the conventional Film Institute), Editora Política and OSPAAAL (the Organization in Solidarity with the formal purity of a poster by folding it up for mailing, was the key to what became the People of Africa, Asia, and Latin America). Although each agency developed its own area most effective worldwide poster distribution system ever. of specialization, individual artists often created work for all of them.

Poster messaging ICAIC is responsible for producing posters for all films made in Cuba, as well as for foreign films shown in the country. Its posters have all been of identical size to fit in Cuban artists have used alternative and creative approaches to graphic representation, special kiosks throughout Havana and other cities. Movies have always been enormously producing a distinctive and rich poster genre. Rather than serving commercial interests, popular in Cuba, and before the Revolution, film posters, like the films themselves, these posters promote social services and community-building. National pride is a deep usually were designed and printed outside the country. Afterwards, ICAIC played a key underlying theme, honoring fallen patriots as well as movements and events. role in the emergence of a uniquely Cuban style of poster art. Saúl Yelin was a visionary publicist when ICAIC was created in March 1959, and he was instrumental in turning the International solidarity is an important part of the national culture, especially because fresh, new film institute into a significant international cultural presence. In keeping with the spirit of the times, the contribution of the individual designer was less important Cuba has had its own long fight against U.S. influence. This deep connection to other than the content of the poster, and dozens of idealistic and talented artists applied their underdeveloped countries struggling for self-determination resulted in many works professional skills to this new enterprise. succinctly and elegantly showing resistance against colonialism and U.S. power. In 1969 and 1971 Editora Política sent the artist René Mederos to , where he spent several Editora Política (EP), the official publishing department of the Cuban Communist Party, months experiencing the American war on the ground. He created two stunning series of started out as the Committee of Revolutionary Orientation (COR, 1962–1974), then became paintings, many of which were turned into silk-screen prints and offset posters.

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05. (opposite) “Education: A Weapon Against the Enemy” 1972, artist unknown, for the Ministry of the Interior. Cuban literacy levels were historically higher than many of its neighbors, but in 1961 a massive and effective campaign not only brought literacy to world-class levels, it helped break down the urban-rural divisions that hampered national social progress.

06. “12th Anniversary of the Federation of Cuban Women” 1972, by Heriberto Echeverria, for Editora Política. As described in the accompanying essay by Mariela Castro Espín, women were involved in the overthrow of Batista as well as the post-revolutionary social transformation of the nation.

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Many posters include visual references to Africa and to the struggle against slavery and a collage of seven of the portraits, and added the famous phrase “Hasta la victoria, racism. Cuba is extraordinarily racially integrated, a feature that can be traced to wars siempre!” (“Ever onward to victory!”). It was published by the Cuban Communist Party of independence in which trust and respect between Spanish-origin criollos and Afro- propaganda department as a large screen-print. Cuban leaders and troops were essential to victory against the Spanish. Historical events from Cuba’s own revolution are also regularly portrayed, including the 1953 attack on the The Ireland connection Moncada Barracks, the 1955 voyage of Fidel Castro’s forces from Mexico to Cuba aboard the Granma, and the 1961 repulsion of the U.S.–backed invasion at the Bay of Pigs. One of those responsible for the proliferation of Che’s image is Irish artist Jim Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick claims that as a teenager he met Guevara in 1961 or 1962, in a chance encounter Che’s iconic image at the Royal Marine Hotel bar in Kilkee while Guevara’s flight was delayed at Shannon Airport. They talked about Guevara’s Irish lineage, which can be traced to Patrick Lynch, The most common portrait on Cuban walls is not that of Fidel Castro or José Martí – who emigrated to Argentina in the 1740s. Soon after Che’s death, Fitzpatrick produced it’s Ernesto “Che” Guevara. He’s seen as representing the purest spirit of the Cuban a hand-drawn stylized black and red screen-printed poster version, based on Korda’s revolution, –a hard-won status for the asthmatic Argentine-born physician. He joined photo in Amsterdam’s anarchist Provo magazine. It was ripped off by Andy Warhol, which up with Castro during his exile in Mexico after the failed 1953 attack on the Moncada helped elevate Fitzpatrick’s role as one of the originators of the “Korda matrix.” Just last Barracks, and was one of the 82 revolutionaries packed aboard the cabin cruiser Granma year, Fitzpatrick’s Che image was issued as an official postage stamp for the Republic of in 1956 when Fidel returned to Cuba. Ireland, which expectedly drew criticism from the Cuban exile community.

After the revolution, Che assumed various roles within the government, eventually Kirkpatrick’s fierce promotion of Che’s legacy is one of many examples of Irish pride leaving Cuba in 1965 to promote revolution abroad. He was captured in Bolivia by CIA- in this defender of the downtrodden. Dave Helvarg, a veteran journalist colleague, recounted this encounter in the spring of 1973: assisted forces and executed on October 9, 1967.

“It was the height of ‘The Troubles.’ I was invited to attend a meeting of the political Art historian David Kunzle describes the singular iconic graphic of Che as the “Korda wing of the IRA in the town of Armagh, one of the most active areas that the British matrix.” The original photograph was taken by Korda (Alberto Díaz Gutiérrez, 1928- Army referred to as ‘bandit country.’ The meeting was in a centuries-old building off a 2001), on March 4, 1960. Korda was at an event honoring victims of a sabotage explosion stone street. We went in through a pub and upstairs and then up a steep ladder into the of a French freighter in Cuba, attended by luminaries including Fidel Castro, Jean-Paul building’s garret. Following a couple of young IRA men and women, I popped my head Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. Korda only snapped off two photos, and didn’t use the into the attic space and the first thing I saw were three posters on a facing wall: Angela famous shot until May or June of 1967, when Che was in Bolivia. Korda gave a print to the Davis, Black Panther Bobby Seale – and .” leftist Italian publisher Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, who produced a bare poster using just the photo without text. Hasta la victoria, siempre!

Soon after Che’s death, Korda’s photo was used for numerous public displays, and the Further reading: photograph was simplified into a high contrast image poster by the artist Ñiko (Antonio Revolución!: Cuban Poster Art, Lincoln Cushing, 2003. Pérez González). Ñiko kept the beret with the distorted four-pointed star, assembled Che’s Afterlife, Michael Casey, 2009. Troubled Images: Posters and Images of the Northern Ireland Conflict from the Linen Hall Library, Belfast, edited by Yvonne Murphy, Allan Leonard, Gordon Gillespie, and Kris Brown, 2001.

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07. “March 8 – International Women’s Day” 1971, by Heriberto Echeverria, for Editora Politica. The first “National Woman’s Day” was held on February 28, 1909 in New York, organized by the Socialist Party of America. The idea took off, and it’s now more celebrated in other countries than in the US.

08. “Day of the Heroic Guerrilla” 1968, by Elena Serrano. The iconic graphic image of Che Guevara is radiating out of Latin America. The date is that of Che’s assassination in Bolivia.

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09. 10. (opposite) “Moby Dick” “Working for the 10 Million for 1968, by Antonio Reboiro, Full Health” for ICAIC. 1970, by Daysi Garcia, for The Hollywood poster for Editora Politica. this 1956 classic focuses In 1952, young medical student on the grimacing face of Che Guevara took an iconic Gregory Peck, about to motorcycle trip through South harpoon the title character. America and learned about rural It’s no fluke that the artistic healthcare disparities. In 1960, and psychedelic Cuban the Cuban Rural Medical Service version highlights the was established, which dispersed underdog. hundreds of newly graduated physician volunteers in remote areas over the next decade to 82. improve public health. Some rode motorcycles.